


caught up in your love affair

by lesblams



Category: Glee
Genre: Adulthood, Domestic, Fluff, M/M, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2455529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesblams/pseuds/lesblams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blaine had always thought that, if he and Sam were ever to actually start dating, they would be <em>perfect</em> together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	caught up in your love affair

**Author's Note:**

  * For [soulgraves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulgraves/gifts).



> This was written for the wonderful [gravesouls](http://gravesouls.tumblr.com) as a gift for her donation to my fundraising efforts for the Walk to End Alzheimer's in September. I hope you enjoy, Bobbie!

Blaine had always thought that, if he and Sam were ever to actually start dating, they would be _perfect_ together.

That may have been what started the whole crush thing in high school. With Sam, he was able to show a side of himself that he’d never really shown Kurt, or his friends at Dalton, or anyone at McKinley, really. And he was able to show the nerdy-playful side of himself because Sam was interested in those things too

And what was even better, in Blaine’s opinion, was how _comfortable_ he and Sam were together. Even when they were just friends, for _years_ he knew that he could casually lean against Sam’s shoulder if he needed that small comfort. They could share a chair when there wasn’t enough space, and Sam wouldn’t bat an eye. Whenever one of them was upset about the shit life threw at them, or over the moon about something actually going _right_ , the other was waiting right there with a warm embrace. And not only that, but Blaine found it incredibly easy to share whatever was on his mind - and, if he didn’t, Sam had likely already figured it out anyway.

Blaine had always assumed that he and Sam would be a kind of poster couple, being President and First Man, Batman and Robin, the kind of couple that would be on the poster of a magazine (Sam had once called them Brad and Angelina, but Blaine wasn’t sure he could go that far). He thought that they would be that couple that everyone else was suspicious of, because they were a little _too_ perfect.

And that’s not to say that they don’t work together. They work _really, really_ well together. Blaine still fits perfectly in Sam’s arms, and he can usually guess what Sam wants for dinner before he even thinks it, and Sam still insists that they break out their crime fighting special skills, though on a smaller scale so they won’t get weird looks on the streets of New York.

But perfect? Perfect they are not. 

—————

They started dating when they were 21. And no, it actually had nothing to do with getting drunk and acting on repressed desires - though that’s not to say a lot of fun, drunken sex didn’t follow, because it definitely did. 

Instead, it had to do with the fact that after Blaine got dumped rather spectacularly for the second time, and Sam still wasn’t content with whatever he found in Lima, and Blaine somewhat unhappy with his education at NYADA, they leaned on each other, both literally and figuratively, even more than they had in the past.

On July 31st of that summer (Blaine only really remembered the date because Sam insisted on celebrating Harry Potter’s birthday; Blaine just thought he was looking for an excuse to get drunk) they took Sam’s truck out to the city limits of Lima with a cooler full of beer in the truck bed and watched the stars. In between Sam pointing out constellations Blaine had never even heard of, Blaine announced that he officially didn’t want to go back to NYADA.

“Dude, are you sure?” Sam asked after having nearly done a spit take with his beer. Blaine just nodded solemnly.

“I honestly feel like I’m not getting anything out of it. Or at least, nothing like what I was expecting. I’m constantly wondering why I even went there in the first place.”

“Because it’s your dream,” Sam stated, like it should be obvious. A year ago, it _would_ have been obvious to Blaine. But he shook his head.

“New York is my dream. And I haven’t forgot about that at all, though I’m still trying to figure out how to get back there without completely falling on my face. But NYADA was just… a stepping stone. That involved…” Blaine waved his hands and beer bottle around in a gesture, and Sam didn’t push him to say ‘Kurt.’

“I just feel like different people need different types of education, and maybe NYADA just isn’t my type,” Blaine continued. “It wasn’t Rachel’s, and I see myself in her, you know?”

“So, don’t go back,” Sam agreed. Blaine was slightly surprised that he didn’t need more convincing, and it must have shown on his face. “It’s not like I’m the poster boy for college education, you know,” Sam joked, knocking his and Blaine’s knees together where they were stretched out in the truck bed. “We’ll go back to New York, take it by storm, and say fuck it to NYADA. I always thought it was a sketchy place anyway.”

Blaine chose to ignore the last comment, instead focusing on: “We?”

“You think I’m sending you off to New York all by yourself? The two months where I was here and you were there were shit anyway, I’m not trying that again.” 

—————

It took them almost a year of getting settled back into New York, falling into a routine of auditioning and booking jobs, whether they be for theatre or for modeling, celebrating together when they scored a gig and comforting each other when they were rejected, before they noticed something different between them. It was Blaine that first noticed that, while Sam was steadily dedicating himself to his work (though he still didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as he thought he would), he rarely went out on dates. 

“It seems like you were never without a girlfriend when we were in high school. And even after we moved to New York, you went on a lot of dates, and then Mercedes happened, and then…” Blaine trailed off. They tended not to talk about the time between Sam leaving New York and the both of them coming back together. It always seemed to lead to awkward conversations of memories neither really wanted to deal with anymore. 

“So what are you saying?” Sam asked, brow beginning to crease.

“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing!” Blaine corrected quickly. “It always seemed like you were a really great boyfriend. And-“

“Blaine,” Sam cut him off, smiling. “It’s fine. I’m kidding.”

“It’s just…unusual. Kind of,” Blaine finished lamely.

Sam sat back on the couch where they were curled up, a Marvel movie playing in the background (to be honest, some days they watched so many that they blurred together). “You’re right, I guess,” he mused. “I never really noticed. Well, okay, sometimes I miss getting to spoon someone or like hold their hand or make out with them or whatever, but like…ever since it’s been just you and me I haven’t really _needed_ it, you know? I feel like I’m good with what we have.”

Blaine snorted into his soda, even as his chest vibrated against his will at the thought of what Sam might be implying. “Maybe that has some hidden meaning or something,” he joked tentatively, attempting not to cross the line between friendship and flirting too much. He knows Sam would be comfortable with it, at least, judging by how Sam reacted to his crush senior year, but there was always a little nagging voice at the back of his mind that told him to be careful.

“Maybe it does,” Sam answered completely seriously, looking Blaine straight in the eye and taking him by surprise. It must have shown on his face, because Sam immediately followed with, “I mean, I don’t know. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, actually, and I just…I’m not sure. Maybe it does.”

Blaine hesitated to speak, wanting to comfort Sam but also not scare him away from the conversation, whatever Sam meant. He wound up not getting the chance to say anything anyway, because Sam abruptly asked:

“Can I kiss you?”

_Oh._

Blaine’s heart skipped a beat, breath suddenly leaving his lungs, and he’s sure he must have looked like an owl, his eyes were so wide. He thought his crush was long gone, but this was so _sudden_ and he -

“Oh my god, I didn’t even think,” Sam gasped. “I just kind of assumed - of _course_ you’re not going to want to kiss me just because you’re gay or anything! Dude, I’m so -“

“No, no, it’s fine!” Blaine spluttered, finally shaken out of a stupor. “You just took me by surprise, is all. Yeah, you - you can kiss me.”

“Yeah?”

Blaine smiled at Sam, who looked so adorably (and surprisingly) eager. “Yeah.” He had honestly wondered whether it would happen anyway at some point in the course of their friendship; he had just always assumed it would be when they’d had alcohol in their systems.

Sam leaned forward slightly, then paused. “Is this going to be weird?”

“Probably,” Blaine answered, but leaned in all the same. 

Just before their lips met, Sam started laughing.

“Shit,” he said, still only an inch away from Blaine’s face, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Blaine said, Sam’s laughter becoming contagious. “Do you still want to - “

Sam nodded, trying again. When their lips met, it _was_ strange, because both of them were still trying not to laugh. Their lips didn’t fit together quite like Blaine had ever expected, almost clumsily because they were pressing too hard and their teeth were exposed. The kiss was brief, and when they pulled away they both let out the laughter they’d been trying to hold in with a huge exhale that the other felt.

“So, uh,” Blaine said, which for some reason made Sam laugh yet again. “How - how was it?”

“Weird,” Sam answered honestly.

“Yeah,” Blaine replied, trying to ignore the bubble of disappointment in his chest.

“But a good weird.”

That bubble dissappated, only to be replaced by an even larger bubble - hope. “Do you…want to try again?” Blaine suggested.

Sam nodded seriously, all laughter gone. This time he cupped the back of Blaine’s head and pulled him in before there was a chance for things to get awkward again.

And _oh_ , that was a lot better. When they actually tried, their lips moved together, Sam’s plush lips pressing against Blaine’s willing, _wanting_ ones. Blaine could tell that Sam knew what he was doing, and whether he was truly into kissing Blaine or not, it felt _good_. And it definitely _felt_ like he was into kissing Blaine, if the way he kept pressing further and further was anything to go by.

That time they kissed until they were out of breath, Sam finally releasing Blaine on a gasp. Blaine could only smile at the dumbstruck look on his face.

“So that’s a thing,” Sam said. “That was… _wow_.”

“Wow,” Blaine nodded. Wow, indeed.

—————

They took things slow. So slow that it was almost frustrating for both of them, because while Blaine always thought a relationship between them would take almost no effort at all, he found himself calculating every move so as not to scare Sam away or push him past a breaking point. And Sam let him, always willing to go just a bit further but never really knowing how to put it into words.

And it was really all for nothing. They constantly made romantic gestures to each other, either big or small, like Blaine taking Sam out to a nice restaurant or Sam having flowers sent to Blaine’s rehearsal. But their first time together wasn’t some huge romantic ordeal with flower petals and candles. Instead, it consisted of each of them sharing the amazing things that had happened at their gigs that day, and Sam kissing Blaine in excitement, which lead to a makeout session like they’d had many times before. But this time, Sam tentatively began untucking Blaine’s shirt and slipping his fingers under the waistline of his pants, and Blaine slowly stripped off Sam’s shirt completely. They eventually found their way to Blaine’s bedroom, hearts pounding with the nervous excitement of finally, _finally_ getting to be together in that way.

After that night, with how _easy_ it had been to just be together, that they didn’t need to hold back, things changed. Blaine and Sam laughed at how stupid they had been, but finally started to feel what they’d been expecting from the relationship all along - the true feeling of _falling_ for each other, with no restraints or inhibitions. Taking bigger steps, or even leaps, in the relationship began to seem less daunting and in fact even more obvious to take than before.

—————

One of the first major leaps they took was moving apartments. Their new place was similar in size to the previous apartment, but it only had one bedroom. Blaine and Sam made the executive decision to swap their two full beds for one queen size after an unfortunate incident that involved Sam landing on his ass on the floor during a hot, heavy, and naked makeout session. The new apartment also had large, open windows on one living room wall that let in a ton of light, that Sam could draw by if he were in the mood or Blaine could practice photography with. There was also enough space for a proper sized keyboard in the living room that could fit without having to fit between a wall and a couch. 

To commemorate truly renting an apartment _together_ , in a way that felt like starting an actual life together, both Blaine and Sam (mostly Blaine) made the executive decision to fully wean themselves off of their parents’ financial aid. It was tricky, especially at first, because they both had jobs where paychecks came event by event - Blaine only got paid if he got cast, and Sam only got paid if he did a modeling gig. It was probably the best incentive to keep working and keep auditioning that either of them could find, because they didn’t want to let their boyfriend down or burden him.

Living financially independent came with certain…quirks. Their nice new queen mattress didn’t actually have a bed frame. (Which, at least, meant that accidentally rolling onto the floor wouldn’t hurt as much.) They probably had too much cheap wine in their fridge and definitely too much ramen in their pantry. The hot water in their apartment ran out in approximately 20 minutes, which Sam claimed gave them an excuse to ‘share’ the shower, but half the time the water turns cold right in the middle of Sam sucking Blaine’s cock anyway which is the biggest turn off _ever._

Sam had lived with financial struggles for years and had learned some tips and tricks to getting around them, but Blaine was still trying to learn how to support himself. He found it to be a good life experience, but there were some times where he instinctively fell back on old feelings of having someone else support him and would forget rather important things - such as paying his share of the rent.

—————

“Blaine?”

“Yeah, babe?” Blaine asked absentmindedly as he set down his audition binder on the table by the door, hanging up his keys and jacket next to Sam’s.

“The landlord called.”

“Oh, shit, the rent was due today?” Blaine said, stretching out his muscles. It had been a long day of traipsing across New York City from audition to audition, one of which he had to stand in line for for three hours.

“You _forgot_.”

Blaine stopped short. He hadn’t noticed the tense tone in Sam’s voice before, but it was blatantly clear now. Sam was sitting at the bar that acted as a substitute for an actual dining room table, checkbook and pen in front of him and his arms crossed.

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I’ll write a check right now,” Blaine said, tentatively moving toward the bar.

“Blaine, this is the _third time_ -“

“I know! I’m sorry! Like you’ll never forget to pay the rent ever! Jesus, Sam,” Blaine groaned, pulling the checkbook toward him and writing down his share of the rent.

“No, I won’t forget, because I know what fucking happens if I do. We’ll-“

“Get kicked out? Sam, it is _one day_ behind. Excuse me for being a little preoccupied by, I don’t know, actually making the money so that we can pay the rent in the first place?”

“And I’m not?” Sam asked, standing, and wow, sometimes Blaine forgot that Sam actually was a full four inches taller than he was, and it could really show at times like this. “Stop being so casual about this, this is really fucking serious, and if you keep repeating it-“

Blaine ripped the check from the checkbook, so hard that the tear was uneven and there was a small jagged piece at the top. “I’m not trying to be casual, I just don’t think that panicking about it will do anything because it’s already _done_ -“

“Do you know why I fucking panic? Because I could _barely_ keep my shit together when my parents lost the house, there’s no fucking _way_ I could do it when it’s just the two of us!”

“We are not going to lose the damn apartment, Sam! I understand that you’re trying to be vigilant or whatever, but it is going to be _fine!_ ” 

“How do you know that? God, how do you know that when you’re so fucking _privil_ -“

“Don’t you _fucking_ dare, Sam,” Blaine cut him off angrily. “I am _trying_. I know we come from two completely different backgrounds that gave us completely different experiences. I am _working_ on it.” He shoved the check into Sam’s chest, letting go quickly and leaving Sam to grapple for it as he passed by him. “Here. And I can guarantee this isn’t going to happen again, because I don’t want to deal with you acting like an asshole when it does.”

He sat at the piano and put his headphones on, the ones that covered his ears completely, which was his general sign for ‘leave me alone and go do something else while I cool off or else this is going to get even worse.’

The last thing he heard from Sam was a large huff before he left to take the check to the landlord without another word.

—————

After about an hour of playing piano, cycling through angry song after angry song until he couldn’t think of any more in his repertoire and his fingertips were numb, Blaine felt the piano bench sink next to him as Sam sat, back to the piano. Blaine removed his headphones and let them rest around his neck.

“I shouldn’t have freaked out,” Sam said simply. “I just get scared. But I shouldn’t take that out on you. But that’s not to say you don’t have responsibilities, it just means…I shouldn’t be a dick about it.”

Blaine nodded. “And you’re right.” He leaned his shoulder against Sam’s. As he’d cooled off while Sam was gone, he’d been able to see more from Sam’s point of view. The songs he was playing grew softer and softer, to the point where if Sam hadn’t approached him right after coming home, he would have gone to Sam. “I don’t like being nagged. I would have gotten it done, eventually, and I would love it if you could trust me enough to do that.. But I also shouldn’t push you to the point of being scared because of what you’ve gone through.”

He reached up and tucked a longer hair behind Sam’s ear. Sometime last year, Sam had dyed his hair a dark brown. Blaine was unsure of it at first, but it had really grown on him - and now, was growing _out_ , as Sam’s hair tended to do because Sam _still_ wanted to rock a ponytail at some point.

“I’m sorry. I really am,” Blaine said.

Sam nodded, leaning into Blaine’s hand, which had found its way to Sam’s cheek. “Thank you. And I’m sorry, too.”

Blaine knew, he _knew_ , that they had equal flaws in this particular argument. And yet, his first instinct was to tell Sam not to worry, that Blaine had been worse than Sam, that Sam had no reason to apologize. That was something still ingrained in him, from being trained to be the epitome of polite since birth and from having plenty of blame placed on him in relationships past.

But he was working on that. Sam knew that he struggled with this and encouraged him to hold his own and embrace what others gave him rather than deflecting. Even after two years, it felt amazing to have that kind of support, even from the person he had been arguing with in the first place.

“Thank you,” he said, and let Sam kiss him until he couldn’t breathe.

—————

Blaine really did work on paying his share of the bills on time. He took to writing due dates on every calendar he got his hands on, set reminders in his phone, whatever he could, to the point where it nearly drove him crazy. But it made Sam happy, so it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

However, he wasn’t the only one with somewhat frustrating habits. Blaine loved how large his boyfriend’s… _heart_ was (no, really), but it had a tendency of putting both Sam and Blaine in bad positions.

“Sam.” Blaine stopped dead in the doorway as a raggedy bundle of fur ran up to sniff his feet. “I thought we talked about this.”

“It’s just one night,” Sam assured quickly, shooting up from the couch and looking very similar to the stray puppy that he’d brought home. “I’ll take him to the shelter in the morning!”

“You shouldn’t have brought him here in the first place,” Blaine argued, shutting the front door behind him before the dog could escape. “You know I don’t- and you don’t even know if he’s got rabies or -“

“Does he look like he has rabies?”

“Fine, not rabies, but worms or-“

“Blaine! It’s fine!”

“No, it’s not fine!” Blaine shouted, voice reaching a peak in the conversation and causing the dog to bark and run back to Sam. Blaine let out a large exhale, trying to calm himself down. “You keep doing this, bringing strays home, and I keep having to be the one to tell you to take it away because you can’t get it through your head that we cannot afford a dog-“

“I know we can’t! You say it often enough, you’re super annoying about it, but this isn’t about that, I’m just trying to help!”

“So help by taking it to the shelter, not potentially infesting our apartment or getting us in trouble because the landlord doesn’t know we have a pet!”

“I _would_ have taken it to the shelter if they had been open, but they weren’t, so-“

“So you leave it there. It looks like it would have been fine on its own at least for one night anyway. Some strays know how to take care of themselves.” Blaine looked over at the dog, who was officially ignoring their argument and instead had decided to bury himself in the bag of chips Sam had finished off before Blaine got home. The dog had scraggly, long black fur, and appeared to have a scabbed nose, but other than that it didn’t seem undernourished. 

“Fine. Whatever. You can be a dick about really, really not wanting to have a dog, I don’t care anymore. But I’m not putting him out tonight. I’ll take him to the shelter in the morning before I start my go-sees.”

Sam crossed to the kitchen area, taking out groceries and pans to make pasta and setting them forcefully on the counter. Blaine followed, ignoring Sam’s pounding.

“Do you honestly think that’s why I’m mad? That I don’t want a dog?”

He waited for Sam to answer, but wound up taking his silence as a yes.

“Fuck, Sam. That’s, that’s so…” he trailed off before the word “stupid” came out of his mouth, because he knew that would make everything ten times worse. “That’s not it at all. I want a dog. Of course I do.”

Sam slowly set down the box of pasta in his hand, looking up at Blaine. His expression was still angry, but there was surprise in his eyes.

“I want a dog, or a pet, or something that will make us grow. As a family. I want a family with you, Sam, and I would love to start it…because that’s where this relationship is going, right? Someday?” For a moment he lost his nerve, his voice becoming timid, because they’d discussed this but not _really_ , not like this. But Sam nodded his head as if it were obvious, and Blaine felt assured again.

“I _want_ this, and it kills me to have to say no to that. It kills me to have to be the bad guy, especially when you know what my answer is going to be, because we can barely afford to feed ourselves sometimes - “

“I know that,” Sam interjected. “I know all of this. That’s not what I’m asking of you.”

“It’s what you were at first,” Blaine reminded Sam, and he was right. When Sam brought the first stray home, the fight had been even bigger because Sam actually wanted to keep it. And Blaine did too, but he knew that wasn’t possible, and it still wasn’t. “How do I know that you’re not going to fall in love with this dog? Or the next, or the one after that, and that you’re not going to want to keep it even though we can’t? Or, fuck, how do I know _I_ won’t want to keep it? I don’t want to have to break my own heart, and I hate breaking yours.”

Sam nodded contemplatively. “I…I never got that. Before. I just heard a lot of yelling.”

“I felt like I had to, because if I was soft about it… I don’t know, I would have caved in, or you would have been even more upset with me for _not_ caving in. I had to be the bad guy,” Blaine repeated. “And I hated it.”

“The thing is, you didn’t. Not this time-“

“But how do I know that?” Blaine asked on impulse. Sam put his hands up in defense.

“Okay, okay. You didn’t know. But can you trust me in the future?”

“I would rather you just not put me in this situation in the future,” Blaine answered honestly. “No more strays. We’ll get a dog when it’s the right time.”

Sam hesitated, but agreed. “I still want to keep this dog for the night, though. I _promise_ I’ll take him to the shelter in the morning.”

“That’s…that’s fine. I think you should sleep on the couch with him, just to make sure that he doesn’t cause any trouble during the night.”

Sam sighed, but Blaine could tell he understood that he wasn’t quite out of the doghouse yet. “Couch. Gotcha.”

He resumed making the pasta, and Blaine went to check Google to make sure that their current stray was as healthy as he appeared.

—————

True to his word, Sam took the stray to the shelter the next morning, gone before Blaine had even gotten out of the shower. The day felt awkward to Blaine, since he wasn’t sure if everything was as resolved as he wanted it to be. And, to be honest, after they’d eaten dinner and he’d gone into the bedroom, they hadn’t talked about what had happened, or why it keeps happening, and Blaine didn’t know if Sam was angry or frustrated or _anything_ at him and the potentials kept spinning around in his head until he’d basically worked himself into an internal frenzy.

But then Sam texted him at lunchtime, a simple “i love you ♥,” and Blaine felt like he could breathe again, even for a moment.

That night, they didn’t talk about it, but they did pop open a bottle of wine and cuddle on the couch and make out a little (okay, a lot). Everything felt okay, at least for the moment.

Blaine got a call, about a month later. Up until then, he had been doing small shows in community/Equity theatres, where he could still get paid but only have to work at night, so he could audition for hopefully bigger and better things during the daytime. Sometimes it screwed up his schedule and made it so he couldn’t see Sam until late at night, something that frustrated the both of them to no end, but there was no denying that it helped - both the paycheck, and the added Equity points that helped him climb the theatre popularity ladder.

Some of the shows he auditioned for were the ones that he had a good idea that he could get cast in - the same smaller theatres he was already performing in. But he would also throw in auditions for Broadway shows, for tours, or even for Off-Broadway shows. And a week ago, he had been called back for an Off-Broadway production of _Newsies_. He’d been incredibly excited, of course, but he tried not to get his hopes up because it was definitely a show meant for dancers, and while he could do a few tricks like a perfect toe-touch or a back handspring (taught to him by Sam), a trained dancer he was not.

But he got a call. And the call informed him that not only was he cast in _Newsies_ , but he was cast as the _lead_. Which, he felt was a little more fitting, because Jack danced but not nearly as much as all the other boys. But it was his name that would get top billing, his face that would be seen the most by any scouts who came to see the show. And the theatre was a great improvement on what he’d been performing in - it held nearly 400 seats, where Broadway theatres in New York were defined as having at least 500. It was the closest he’d ever gotten to Broadway, and could hopefully only mean improvement from there.

As soon as he got the call, standing in line at a Starbucks picking up a chai tea for him and a pumpkin spice latte for Sam (because his boyfriend had the biggest sweet tooth ever and had nearly lost it when he found out that pumpkin spice lattes were being released earlier than ever that year), he raced home, avoiding ordering drinks so that he wouldn’t spill them on himself in excitement. He bypassed the subway, feeling completely unable to stand still even for a second, and as he swung the apartment door open, Sam popped up from where he’d been laying on the couch, hair pressed to the side.

“Huh?” Sam asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Sammy, guess what!” Blaine asked, not waiting for Sam to respond before he set down his bag and laid across his boyfriend, kissing him soundly on the lips.

“Macy’s had bowties on sale,” Sam half-assed, still half-asleep but content to let Blaine keep kissing him.

“Ugh, I wish,” Blaine said, sitting up and straddling Sam’s hips. “But this is even better. Babe, I got cast in an Off-Broadway show! As the _lead_!” 

Sam’s eyes widened as big as saucers, _finally_ fully awake. “What?!”

Blaine nodded, grin threatening to break his cheeks. “You’re looking at the new Jack Kelly of Newsies!”

“Blaine, that’s _amazing!”_ Sam said, pulling Blaine down to kiss him soundly. “But,” he continued, pulling back about an inch, “hopefully I can do more than just look, right?”

Blaine rolled his eyes, still smiling, and tugged Sam off the couch and into their bedroom, the door swinging shut behind them.

After over a year together, Blaine was almost, _almost_ used to this. To being able to come home and not have any reservations about his success, but instead being able to share them freely, usually with Sam being even more excited than he was. He and Sam were both in careers that thrived on success, but there was never any jealousy or competition between them, only undying support. And truthfully, that felt so amazing to Blaine that sometimes he was overwhelmed by it all. But Sam would always catch him when he nearly reached that point, and would just kiss him all over again.

—————

A couple of weeks into rehearsals, where Blaine is truly discovering what it means to be a professional actor, both with the vastly improved paycheck and the longer, harder work hours that were so much more fulfilling, he came home at 11 PM to a quiet apartment, almost all lights out except the one in the kitchen and the one in the bedroom. A bottle of wine was set out on the counter, half empty already, with a glass next to it, waiting for Blaine. Blaine smiled and poured it out, leaving his script on the counter for him to study it tomorrow.

Blaine set the bottle in the fridge before crossing to the bedroom. Inside, Sam was propped on the mattress, back against the wall, laptop on his lap as his fingers clacked on the keys. Blaine set down his glass and quietly changed into his pajamas, pretending not to see Sam’s eyes travel from his laptop screen to Blaine’s half-naked form. After he was in more comfortable clothing, he took a large sip of his wine and curled up next to Sam on the mattress.

“How was rehearsal?” Sam asked, shutting his screen for a moment.

“It was good,” Blaine answered. “We finally finished the first act finale, which meant I got to belt my face off at the end of rehearsal. And I won’t have to work as much tomorrow, since the second act starts with Jack being all moody and stuff.”

Sam laughs, then gives Blaine a kiss.

“What have you been working on?” Blaine asks, diverting the conversation to Sam’s laptop. Sam sighed.

“Just…looking for places to audition tomorrow. Same old, same old.”

“And that’s not good?” Blaine questioned. He wasn’t used to hearing Sam talk about his job in such a resigned tone; but, then again, he realized he hadn’t heard Sam say much of anything about modeling lately.

Sam shifted, leaning into Blaine while he looked for the words to say. “I don’t know, it’s just…kind of boring? Like I’m not sure why I’m doing it anymore. Except for the money.”

“Money is always good,” Blaine offered, taking a sip of his wine. Sam followed suit, reaching for his own glass sitting on the floor by the mattress.

“I just feel like there’s more I could be doing. I’m not changing anything, I’m not making a difference, I’m not advancing in any way, and I feel like I could be. You know? It’s like I’m just kind of showing up, letting people take pictures of me, and leaving and not really knowing when I’ll come back. And it’s frustrating and scary and _pointless_.”

“But it’s not that you’re just letting people take pictures of you. They _want_ to, because you’re talented, and - “ Blaine stopped when Sam looked over him, expression making it clear that it wasn’t really what he needed to hear. “Okay. We’re young. Fuck, we’re twenty-two. Taylor Swift is proud of us.” Sam laughed, and Blaine was happy to see a smile rather than the frustrated look distorting his beautiful features. “We’re at the perfect age to figure out what we really want our career to be, especially since it’s just us together. We don’t have a kid, or a dog,” Blaine said tentatively, since they still weren’t really approaching that subject. “What would you rather do?”

“I think…I think I want something that’s more stable,” Sam answered. “Going to audition for gigs every other day is exhausting, and I always get the feeling that I’m never going to be cast, because it’s like for every five days of auditioning _all day_ , I get maybe one gig. And they’re always the same, and it’s always boring, and it kind of stresses me out, because what happens when I stop getting cast in those? And like, you’re starting to become super successful, and that’s so awesome, and you’re totally going to win a Tony someday and everything,” Blaine smiled, but braced himself on instinct, still wary of his boyfriend comparing their careers and how that’s lead to fights with past boyfriends, “but I’m just not going anywhere and I think maybe it’s because I don’t have the passion you do. I don’t have the drive.”

Blaine subtly let out his breath. It’s not that Sam’s jealous. That’s fine. “Do you have a passion for anything else? Something more…stable?”

Sam hesitated, then opened his laptop. On the screen, instead of modeling audition listings, was the front page of the closest animal shelter, the one Sam loved to take strays to.

“They know me by name, now,” Sam said. “And I don’t think the paycheck would be as much, but it would be more of a sure thing. I would know when it was coming, and how much, and I could try to get promotions and stuff.”

“That makes total sense,” Blaine answered, completely honestly. Sam looked at him in surprise.

“It wouldn’t upset you?”

“Why would it upset me?”

“I don’t know, because…because you don’t like it when I bring strays home. And now I would be working around them all the time.”

“I think this would be good for you,” Blaine answered, surprising Sam yet again. “I think this would give you an outlet to be able to work with the stray dogs and cats, and you would be less inclined to bring them home because you could care for them at work.”

Sam grinned, leaning forward to kiss Blaine in his excitement. “That’s _awesome_ , dude.” Blaine laughed - sometimes, old habits die hard. Really hard.

“And I could start saving up,” Sam continued, words rolling out of his mouth now that he wasn’t nervous to say them. “We could get a TV! Or a bed frame,” he said, bouncing lightly on the mattress. “Or our own wifi instead of Mrs. Marshall’s, or engagement rings, or a shower head that’s not shit -“

“Wait,” Blaine cut him off, heart skipping a few beats. “Go back. What?”

“Our own wifi?” Sam answered cheekily, but his face told Blaine that he knew he’d been caught.

“Engagement rings?” Blaine asked anyway, suddenly even more acutely aware of his heart, his breath, how his body was pressed up against Sam’s, and _how much he loved this man_.

“Yeah,” Sam said, blushing. “Because that’s where this relationship is going, right? Someday?” he asked, echoing Blaine’s words from _months_ earlier, and Blaine wondered if that conversation was what sparked Sam thinking about this in the first place.

“Absolutely.” Blaine curled into Sam’s side, watching as Sam scrolled through the shelter’s website. He let a few moments pass before he spoke up. “But we don’t have to save up for the wedding. My parents want to pay for that.”

He felt like he’s known he was going to marry Sam since a few months after they started dating, but this was the first time they were really and truly discussing getting married - probably because they were still attempting to force themselves to go at least a _little_ bit slow. But his mom had asked him once, over Christmas last year, whether he thought it was going to happen, and when he answered yes she immediately told him that, since she and his father had such a good feeling about him and Sam (though they were also encouraging them moving slowly), and since they no longer needed to pay for NYADA’s sky-high tuition, they wanted to use that money toward Blaine’s future wedding.

“Really?” Sam asked. Blaine just nodded. “That’s _incredible._ But I still feel like we should contribute - “

Blaine stopped Sam with a hand on his thigh. “I think we should just let them. This is something I never, ever expected from them, and I really think it’s too good to turn down. So just…think about it?”

Sam agreed, but Blaine could tell it would probably be brought up for discussion later - like once they were actually engaged. But for that moment, Blaine took Sam’s agreement as it was and finished the conversation by climbing onto his lap, letting his weight sink into Sam as he kissed him deeply. Sam’s hands crept up to his back, first under his shirt, then down to his ass, and there was no question as to where this was leading.

However, after Blaine had removed his shirt and Sam flipped them over so that he was on top and could follow Blaine’s example, he stopped.

“We can get a bed frame first, though, right?”

Blaine smacked Sam on his bare shoulder and brought him down for another kiss.

—————

Sam went to the shelter the very next day and talked to the owner, who willingly hired him, though at a lower position because while he was excellent at rescuing strays, he didn’t have any actual experience working in a shelter. But the change in Sam was immediate and clear - Blaine honestly felt a little guilty, because while it hadn’t been like Sam was harboring a massive weight that he felt he couldn’t share with Blaine, he still hadn’t noticed that Sam was struggling with a decision at all. When he expressed that to Sam, Sam only shook his head, laughed, and kissed Blaine on the forehead.

“I don’t expect you to read my mind. You helped me when I needed it the most, and that’s what matters.”

Sam settled into his role at the shelter quickly, like it was perfectly natural for him. Both the steadier security in his job and the ability to play with friendly animals each day comforted him, and he was much happier at home. It was much rarer that Blaine came home to an exhausted Sam, even if he had been doing more physical activity at the shelter than he would have done while modeling. Sam loved his job, finally, like Blaine loved his own job.

Though, while the high points were higher in Sam’s new job, the low points were also lower. The first night in which Sam came home after having to help with a dog’s euthanasia, they’d curled up on the couch together, Sam laying in Blaine’s arms, with a bottle of wine sitting close and Blaine singing softly to Sam and stroking his hair until he’d calmed down somewhat. 

And while Sam stopped bringing home strays, since he could just bring them to work, he still had his favorites at the shelter. Blaine loved getting to see Sam talk about them - his eyes would light up, and he would become incredibly animated and excited, and Blaine would usually have to lay a gentle hand on him to remind him to calm down even though he loved seeing Sam so enthusiastic. But, while Blaine could tell there were some dogs that Sam wished he could keep and raise, he never actually asked Blaine.

But, like Sam had thought of when he first took the job at the shelter, their income was more stable. _Newsies_ was about to close, but Blaine had already been cast as a supporting character in a new Off-Broadway production that had potential to make it to Broadway. They had already bought a new bed frame, at Sam’s adamant request, which did _wonders_ for both of their backs. And while Blaine was helping budget their new incomes, he had an idea.

Two years to the day after they had first kissed, Blaine walked into the shelter, flowers in hand. Sam was on the floor in one of the small gated areas used to house pets that were being promoted for adoption. Playing on and around Sam was a young Boston Terrier, chasing after a ball Sam tossed around his kennel. As they heard the door chime, both Sam and the Boston Terrier looked up, smiling.

“Happy anniversary!” Blaine said over the cacophony of barks coming from the rest of the dogs in the shelter. He noticed that the Boston Terrier playing with Sam, while excited, stayed quiet.

“Are those for me?” Sam asked, standing and reaching for the bouquet. 

“Nah, they’re for that cute dog you’re playing with,” Blaine joked as he handed the flowers over. He knelt down outside the kennel as Sam sniffed the flowers. “Is this the one you’ve been telling me about?”

“Mikey,” Sam nodded. Mikey had come to the shelter about a week ago, and Sam had been talking about him non-stop ever since. 

“He’s adorable,” Blaine said, reaching over the fence so that Mikey could sniff his fingers. Mikey went to town, skipping sniffing all together and immediately licking Blaine’s hand. “I think he likes me.”

“Yeah,” Sam said fondly. “We’re hoping to get him adopted out soon,” he continued, a little more sadly. “I bet he’ll find a good home. He’s a great dog. Potty trained, gentle, but playful. He’d be perfect for any family.”

He spoke wistfully, as if he wished that it were _his_ family that Mikey would be perfect for, which Blaine knew to be the case, even if Sam wouldn’t say it outright. Blaine smirked to himself.

“Kathy says he’d be perfect for apartments,” Sam added absentmindedly, crouching down next to Blaine and setting down the flowers so he could pet Mikey’s back. “I’m still working on knowing which breeds are supposed to live where, but she’s like an expert.”

Blaine paused, before lightly approaching the subject. “You know, I bet I know a perfect apartment for Mikey to live in.”

“Oh. You know someone who’s wanting to adopt?” Sam asked, still trying not to give his true emotions away. But Blaine could see right through him.

Blaine smiled. “Well, I was kind of thinking he could come live in _our_ apartment.”

It took Sam a moment to process, but when he did he turned to Blaine with the most adorable disbelieving expression. “Do you mean - “

“I think we should adopt him,” Blaine reiterated. “I think we should take him home with us. What do you think?”

“Babe, what - I - I don’t know what to _say_ ,” Sam said, pulling Blaine in close for a hug.

“Happy anniversary, baby,” Blaine whispered in Sam’s ear, returning his embrace with equal force. 

“I love you,” Sam said once they pulled away, cupping Blaine’s face in his and giving him a smacking kiss. “I love you _so much_ , you know that right?”

“I love you too,” Blaine laughed. “Now let’s take this puppy home.”

Mikey yipped in agreement.

—————

So, no. They weren’t perfect. They had their flaws, just like any other couple. But the way they worked together, the way they fought, the way they fixed, and the way they loved, somehow in itself made them perfect together.


End file.
